Corrections & Retractions

The IJIE will issue corrections, retraction statements, and other post-publication updates, including Editor's Notes and Editorial Expressions of Concern on published content.  

 The following are categories of corrections and post-publication updates to peer-reviewed articles. Substantial errors in Supplementary Information and Extended Data are corrected in the same manner as amendments to the main article. Except for Editor's Notes, all categories below are bi-directionally linked to the original article and indexed.

 Author Correction: An Author Correction may be published to correct a critical error(s) made by the author(s) that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.  

 Publisher Correction: A Publisher Correction may be published to correct a critical error(s) made by the journal that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal.

 Addendum: An addendum is generally published when significant additional information crucial to the reader's understanding of the article has come to light following the publication of the article.

 Editor's Note: An Editor's Note alerts readers if the journal has initiated an inquiry in response to concerns raised about a published article.

Editorial Expression of Concern: An Editorial Expression of Concern is a statement from the editors alerting readers to serious concerns affecting the integrity of the published paper. EEoCs are published online and are bidirectionally linked to the published article. 

 Publishing an Editor's Note or EEoC is recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to keep readers updated while a potentially lengthy research integrity investigation is underway. Editor's Notes and EEoCs are typically superseded by publishing another amendment―such as a correction or retraction―once the investigation is complete.

 Retraction: An article may be retracted when the integrity of the published work is substantially undermined owing to errors in the conduct, analysis, and/or reporting of the study. Violating publication or research ethics may also result in a study's retraction. The original article is marked as retracted, but a PDF version remains available to readers, and the retraction statement is bi-directionally linked to the original published paper. Retraction statements typically include a statement of assent or dissent from the authors.

 In most cases, the original article is corrected when making corrections to articles. It is bi-directionally linked to and from the published amendment notice, which details the original error. For the sake of transparency, when changes made to the original article affect data in figures, tables, or text (for example, when data points/error bars change or curves require redrawing), the amendment notice will reproduce the original data.

 

Removal of the published content

In some cases, IJIE reserves the right to remove an article. Such action may be taken when:
(a) IJIE has been advised that content is defamatory, infringes a third party's intellectual property right, right to privacy, or other legal rights, or is otherwise unlawful;
(b) a court or government order has been issued, or is likely to be issued, requiring removal of such content;
(c) content, if acted upon, would pose an immediate and serious risk to health. Removal may be temporary or permanent. Bibliographic metadata (e.g., title and authors) will be retained and accompanied by a statement explaining why the content has been removed.

 

Matters Arising

IJIE recognizes the importance of post-publication commentary on published research as necessary to advancing scientific discourse. Formal post-publication commentary on published papers can involve challenges, clarifications, or, in some cases, replication of the published work, and after peer review, may be published online as Matters Arising, usually alongside a Reply from the original IJIE authors.

 

Addressing post-publication issues

We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record and thoroughly investigating concerns directly raised by authors and readers. Authors are always allowed to respond to the concerns raised. We may request original unprocessed data and consult with experts during an investigation. Depending on the seriousness of the issues, the following outcomes may ensue:

 ● If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.

● If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the issues:

• A correction or Addendum may be issued
• an Editor's Note or Editorial Expression of Concern may be issued, and typically a second notification follows these once the investigation concludes
• the article may be retracted

● The author's institution may be informed if we identify potentially serious issues.

We aim for transparent notification to readers; We may refer readers to the reports of institutional investigations if these reports are publicly available. While we are committed to addressing post-publication issues and correcting the record swiftly, investigations typically take some time to reach a resolution, given the complexity of the discussions and the need to obtain original data and consult with experts. We will issue Editor's Notes and/or Editorial Expressions of Concern to alert our readers when we become aware of concerns with published material.